Destin Man Charged with Armed Robbery

A Destin man accused of pulling a knife on employees at a Destin Commons business is charged with armed robbery by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. 50-year old William Jay Freeland of 60 Sand Prints Drive was taken into custody July 23rd after an OCSO K-9 unit tracked him into woods near Destin Commons.

Employees of Maui Nix on Legendary Drive say the door alarm activated when Freeland tried to walk out with merchandise he had not purchased. The clothes had security devices attached. They say Freeland shoved the business owner and two other employees who tried to keep him from leaving the store.

The workers say Freeland also pulled a black knife from his pocket and told them “I’m going to cut you bad” before he ran out of the store into nearby woods.

OCSO K-9’s located Freeland and also found several bags of merchandise from multiple stores in the area.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.